Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday called on the Ukrainian military to seize power in their country and overthrow President Volodymyr Zelensky, while the Kremlin said Putin is willing to send a delegation to Belarus to meet with Kyiv officials.
However, in a televised speech, Putin told the Ukrainian military that it would be “easier for us to make a deal with you” than with “this gang of drug addicts and neo-Nazis,” apparently referring to Ukraine’s government.
“I once again appeal to the military personnel of the armed forces of Ukraine: do not allow neo-Nazis and [Ukrainian nationalists] to use your children, wives, and elders as human shields,” he said. “Take power into your own hands, it will be easier for us to reach agreement.”
Putin’s comments came after Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow is willing to send a delegation to Minsk with Ukrainian officials to discuss a peace agreement. Earlier, Zelensky said Ukraine is not fearful “to talk about neutral status” before he made security guarantees.
The comments came as Russian tanks and troops appeared to have entered parts of Kyiv, the capital, on Friday amid heavy fighting with Ukraine’s military forces.
“Horrific Russian rocket strikes on Kyiv. Last time our capital experienced anything like this was in 1941 when it was attacked by Nazi Germany,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote on social media, calling on the rest of the world to “sever all ties” with Russia.
A senior U.S. Defense Department official told news outlets on Friday that Western intelligence believes Russia has faced more resistance than they had anticipated in Ukraine.
“We do assess that there is greater resistance by the Ukrainians than the Russians expected,” the official said, adding that the command and control of Kyiv’s military are still intact. “They are not moving on Kyiv as fast as what we believe they anticipated they would be able to do. That said, they continue to try to move on Kyiv.”
Russia, however, has not mobilized its full forces that are positioned around Ukraine, the official continued.
No NATO country, including the United States, has sent troops to Ukraine. President Joe Biden said in a speech on Thursday that he will not deploy American forces in Ukraine.
The move prompted Zelensky, in a late-night address, to say that he is frustrated with some European countries for not deploying their forces.
“When bombs fall on Kyiv, it happens in Europe, not just in Ukraine,” he remarked. “When missiles kill our people, they kill all Europeans.”
Around the same time, Zelensky said that he believes Russian forces were hunting him and his family, according to reports.
